I hate... when the teacher leaves messy, jumbled up lesson plans. when the teacher doesn't leave extra work in case I have more time. when I'm subbing for RSP or speech expecting to have an easy day & they end up throwing me into a 6th grade class because they're short a sub. Unfortunately, they're able to do that. I hate this the MOST!
What I hate about being a sub 2 I hear you. What I hate about being a sub is being ignored in the faculty lounge or having a teacher turn around and put their behind in my face when I sit next to them. I also hate rude teachers that yell at me.I hate it when teachers justify their students mistreating a sub for example "they don't like subs" or "that's the way subs are treated here." There is no excuse for this. I really hate it when an aide leaves me alone in a classroom most of the day without telling me where they are going. I also REALLY hate it when the teacher tells me the kids know what to do but does not tell me what they are supposed to do and I do not know. I also hate it when schools give subs boring office work to do. What I like about subbing is that I can leave at the end of the day without doing paperwork. I can refuse to teach at a horrible school. I also like the flexible scheduling and I also like the fact that you can turn to subbing if you are not a permanent teacher. Anyway try to bring your own work if the teacher does not leave anything. That will make your day easier. Terry G.
I hate not getting a phone call until 7:20 in the morning when school starts at 7:50 and it takes me 20 minutes to get there. I hate having to get up, get dressed, have my lunch ready so that I'm ready to go, and then sitting by the phone waiting for the call.....and NOT getting one! Day to day subbing is just not my cup of tea....
It's been a while since I've subbed, but I have to say just the state of anxiety one is in waiting for the phone every morning...
I echo all of the previous posts. I'd say what I dislike the most is the unknown factor. Getting a call to go to a school where you don't know where it is, so you have to make sure you get to the right place, and hopefully on time. Then, just the whole, "is this class going to be great, horrible, indifferent, what?" I HATE that part of subbing. It's one reason I'm seriously considering a job offer for a private school. It's lower pay than I want, but the environment seems awesome, and most of all.....it's a regular teaching position!! After 5 yrs of day-to-day subbing I am massively burnt out and I long to become a part of a school and hunker down somewhere. Hats off to all of you for what you do! Nasimi77
I completely agree. I was lucky enough to spend most of this school year in long-term subbing placements (one for 4 months and one for 2), but since the end of May I have been a day-to-day sub there. I am way too much of a planner (and worrier!) to not know where I'm going to be or what I'm going to be doing everyday.
Beth2004: Yes, I am a worrier, as well as a planner myself. I have talked to subs that just love it and they usually have a few other jobs to suplement their income. But day-to-day is tough when most of us want some type of stability. The longest assignment I had was 4 weeks, and that was great. Long-term assignments are not so easy to come by with my district, but thankfully I do get requested a lot, and that's how I have survived as long as I have. N77
I am fortunate that since I got my credential last october, I have been able to teach at the same school everyday. I taught intersession twice (4 weeks each time) and since then, they have allowed me to come in everyday. On Thursday and Fridays I teach art. Monday through Wednesday I either work for another teacher or work in the office. Since it is a year round school, I am frequently covering classes. I can't imagine waking up, not knowing which school I would be going to, etc. I also am a worry wart. I want to know ahead of time (at least 1 day)the grade level I will be teaching and perhaps the unit they are on in open court so I can bring in supplemental materials. If there is one thing I hate it is what Teresaglass said: when a teacher says in the plans that the kids will work on their "_______ project" and the kids say that they finished that project.
When I was a sub, I hated teachers that already thought you couldn't handle their class and set the stage for disaster. Teachers should establish a climate that allows for guest teachers to be able to come in and experience sucess. Sure, there'll be "those" classes (like mine last year! ) BUT, teachers should prepare their students for substitute behavior.
I have subbed for the same district for the past year & a half in all 7 of their schools. Usually I've never had a problem and can only think of about a dozens times there weren't plans & I had to use emergency plans or just make them up on the spot. But some things I always hated were: Quickly scribbled lesson plans I coulld hardly read Being left a read aloud (novel) and not being told where they left off Messy desks!!! (this is one of my biggest pet peeves) When the attendance & lunch count are not on the desk/near the door...in any place I would think to find it. Not letting the students know they will have a sub especially when they know in advance they are going to training Not being told about behaviors certian studnest exhibit Not having enough work Plans that say, "special" & "lunch" w/o times (when there is no time scheudle in the classroom)
Teachers that leave lesson plans with abbreviations Getting a 5a.m. call when the school doesn't start until 9 Principals that wont back you up if you ask them to talk to the class Teachers that don't leave seating charts No health care or dental Bus Duty (blah), and the teachers that yell at you because you don't know their bus routine
Jennyjenjen, oh my gosh! No seating chart! I had a teacher leave me directions for the class saying that the students had to sit in their seats or she would give them detention, but left no seating chart! It was awful! I hate having to send the attendance list to the office then not knowing any of the student's sames! I tend to say "You, boy with the blue shirt". It makes them laugh, but what am I supposed to do?
Seating charts Sometimes if I realize there isn't a seating chart before the kids get there I try and make a quick one but that only works if they have names on their desks. I guess this list will make us better teachers in the future, and we can have some empathy for our poor, underappreciated, substitutes.
OMG...,I have never subbed, but you all have given me really good feedback on what NOT to do when I have to leave and have a sub in my classroom.
Things to NEVER DO!!!!! I have only subbed elementary but here are just a few of my own thoughts. I agree with many here esp teresa. I wonder if a hs sub would give their thoughts as I am about to sub and teach hs????? Never accept office work. Find something else to do in class if the school site makes you stay after school? Never accept 1/2 day morning assignments that last five hours(almost a full day's work for 1/2 the pay). Never stay on an assignment longer than one day if you do not have the support of the administration at the school esp. in regards to discipline of unruly students. Never act as though your beneath a regular teacher. Your just as valuable in fact for that day you are very valuable. Never start with your guard down. Be firm at the beginning. Never get involved in the "gossip" of your fellow teachers. Always, treat others with respect whether they are in front of you or away. Never do nothing when no plans are given or very poor plans or given. Immediately tell the principal. Never end the day on a sour note. Try to do something fun at the end of the day.
I also hated it when teachers never left enough extra work in case I had more time to spare, but I also equally hated it when I had NO sub plans to go off of. (Makes it ten times harder to get the job done.)
I am an elementary ed teacher- I got a call to sub- AS THE NURSE. I told the secretary that although I appreciate the phone call, I would have to decline because if word got out I subbed as a nurse, I might lose my license. I think she appreciated my honesty. They continued to call me to sub as a teacher.
Wow MissFrizzle, you multi-talented thing you! Jeepers I've never heard of that before! Good for you for being honest!
Actually, I thought I would be totally useless. What could I possibly do besides hand out band aids, and ice packs. I'm not qualified at all. I thought that was a pretty stupid thing on the school's part. God forbid something serious happened. The school would have been in big trouble. I would have been a warm body in the nurses office. That was a little insulting also.
I agree with what most of the others had to say. The worst thing for me when I subbed was not knowing what to expect. For instance, I subbed for a 5th grade class once and he didn't leave ANYTHING. The whole morning was a field trip, I had to search up and down for field trip forms and a class list. I had no idea what was going on. The teacher left NO PLANS whatsoever for the entire afternoon. Luckily. one of the other 5th grader teachers offered to let the class join them for a movie (she must have felt sorry for me, haha.) The other thing that bothered me as a substitute was not having a set schedule. The district that I subbed for always called me at the last minute. Other than those two things, I enjoyed my time as a substitute.
DEB06, What that teacher did was inexcusable! I hope you reported him to the principal. Teachers like him do not deserve to be in the field! Terry G.
The worst thing about being a substitute teacher is the waiting part. My district posts online the jobs the night before and in the morning. I could sit at the computer for 3 hours and not get a job. You have the watch the whole time because it refreshes itself every five minutes. The other thing is trying to understand the teacher's plans that they leave.(If they leave them at all.) I just wish I had my own clasrsoom.
The worst part is not having a full time job I have been very lucky though. I have only had 1 experience that I would consider bad and it was a teacher that was extremely ill so there were no plans (which I can handle normally). They were about to start prep for the STAR test and I didn't have any of the information for that. The worst part was that her class was filthy. I felt really bad about it but I had to take an hour out of the morning and clean the class. In my opinion it was not "safe" for the kids. I have never seen kids so excited to clean their desks.
I generally sub at my kids' school, so I've never had any problems there. I've been a very active parent there for many years, so everyone knows me and I often get requested. That said.... I did take a job at the elementary school *I* went to as a kid....And what I hated about it was they were going on a field trip and I had no idea until I got there in the morning. I did not have appropriate shoes or clothing on for this trip The two other 4th grade teachers buddied up for the trip, and their classes and them piled onto one bus, leaving me with my class, alone on the second bus. Personally, I think one of them should have taken their class on the one bus, and the other one should have buddied up with ME....I survived, but it was interesting trying to keep tabs on all of these kids and I didn't know their names! The other thing I hate about being a sub is feeling like you are intruding when you eat your lunch in the faculty room! I've been ignored already, but to be told you are sitting in the wrong seat?? How rude!
MUGrad How outrageous! Unfortunately some teachers really are snotty towards subs. Being told you were in the wrong seat was incredibly stupid and rude. When I was subbing I usually would go to the table at the back of the lounge or ask if I could sit in a seat that was empty. If that did not work I would eat in the classroom. I find this happens more in elementary than in middle or high schools. As for the field trip you could have asked for help. Arriving early might have given you an opportunity to get the kids names. One time I subbed as a special education aide and I had to sit outside with an autistic student all day without a break. When another aide came i demanded to be allowed to go to the restroom. The teacher did treat me to lunch and when I went back to the same school the next day I told the principal I would prefer to work in another classroom. She complied with my request. Subs should not have to take kids on field trips. If teachers schedule a field trip they need to be there with their students! Terry G.
He was reported. Not only by myself, but by the other 5th grade teachers. They were very upset that he didn't even bother to leave the necessary paperwork for the field trip. I'm not sure what happened, but hopefully he won't do this to anyone else!
The kicker was that I DID arrive early...I got there at 8 am after receiving a 7 am phone call. Start time for subs is 8:15 am. When I arrived at the school, there was not a soul in the office. I had never subbed there before, so I didn't know the procedures at that particular school. There was nobody to give me an ID badge, I didn't know where their sign in sheet was, and I didn't know where the classroom was! Once I finally found a teacher to help me, I got acclimated to the room, only to find out that there was a field trip scheduled. I had exactly 10 minutes from the time the children arrived, to take attendance and lunch count, and then it was time to board the busses. No name tags or nothing! And I also had meds to take with me! It was so chaotic and the other teachers were SO NOT helpful! Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of memory to meet a roomful of kids and know all of their names within 10 minutes! It wasn't a good experience.... Oh, and after the field trip, they had lunch, and then they had Field Day for the remainder of the day. Talk about a double whammy for a sub!
Wow MUGrad. Did you let anyone in HR or the sub desk know about your expereinces? You had a heck of a day1 That school was so disorganized. I hope you do not ever have to accept a job there again. And districts wonder why they cannot get good subs1. For the little dab of money we make why should we put up with this?
What do I hate about subbing? I hate that my state allows people without a teaching degree to sub. I have my teaching degree, in fact, I just recently paid out over $1000.00 ( for college classes) to renew my certificate (for 5 years) and I could get bumped out by someone who does not have a teaching degree or certificate.
That is incredible. Depending on the district in California we usually give preference to credentialed subs. Do you even get preference for long term jobs? Terry G.
Where in Ohio are you located? I believe that you are saying that people have to have a degree to be a substitute teacher - it just does not have to be in the field of education. Right?
Correct. As long as a person has at least a 4 year degree, and passes the background check, they can sub. As far as long term sub jobs, I imagine they would hire someone with an up to date certificate and teaching degree. I live near Lancaster. Recently, a friend of mine signed her husband (an electrician by trade) to sub in case he gets laid off, he does not have a teaching degree, not does the principal even know him. He received a call from one of the highest paying and biggest districts to be a building sub, someone who goes everyday to work in their building. She told me about it, so I jumped on it. Called, emailed, showed up with resume.....have not gotten called or contacted. I have a degree, current teacher certificate, and experience. I don't get it.
The state of Pennsylvania does this too, but the superintendent of the district must prove that there is a shortage of subs and the district must be in need. PA grants "emergency certification" for these purposes, but it is only valid for one year. The process must be repeated every year (super. determining shortage, getting permission from state, offering emergency certification). I answered an ad for subs in our district in March. It was an "emergency certification" plea. I actually have my degree in ElEd and I have certification, but I went to the interviews and training anyway (figured it could only help!). About 130 people attended...most of them were in their 40's and 50's and many were looking at second careers and/or retired. One tip I was given was to call the sub caller once a week and ask if she had any jobs for the week. The person who told me to try this approach said she worked every day (that she wanted to) by handling it this way. I mostly sub in my son's school and that's enough to keep me pretty busy! Marcy
Hey! I thought of something I hate about subbing besides the low pay. I hate when a teacher leaves a lesson and tells me that "this is the first time they have seen this" or "first time they have done this" or "this is something brand new for them" or "they have never done this or seen this before" What's up with that? It has happened to me on more than one occasion. When I get my own classroom and have to have a sub, I will make sure never to do that to my students or the sub.
I actually love when that happens. It gives me some challenges. I like to try out those teaching skills. Hopefully the kids will understand it
I have to agree with most of what everyone else has said. I think what I hate most about subbing is seeing teachers that shouldn't be teaching when I know myself and so many others are trying desperately to get jobs. I'm not a snob or think I am better than everyone else, but sometimes I just wonder why life is so unfair to stick me in that position. I also have to agree with the teacher's lounge thing. I actually went into a lounge once and had a wonderful conversation that very quickly turned VERY BAD. I was eating and minding my own business (reading a book) when one teacher asked me if I was looking for a full time job. I said yes I was, but it has been very hard. And she said started giving me lots of advice. It was very nice of her. And then the teacher sitting next to her said, and I quote, "but you are just a baby, you need to let the other people have their time first." (i'm 25- i look a LOT younger though) I didn't know what to say to her. Then she continued by saying "Have you ever considered something else. It may not happen for you. My daughter tried desperately to find work in the field that she graduated in and gave up and started working at a company doing something completely different. And she loves it. Teaching isn't for everyone you know." I just muttered something about how teaching is the only thing I've ever wanted to do since I was a child and that I had to go back to the classroom to get ready for the afternoon. So, in a nutshell, I hate not having a full time job
